


Veteran’s Lament

by swiperade



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, I cant think of any trigger warnings other than nightmares, Legend has a bad time, Legend is such a softie, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:47:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiperade/pseuds/swiperade
Summary: Legend has a nightmare. Warriors talks to him.As it turns out, Warriors knows exactly who Legend’s ‘dream girl’ is.(My October Exchange gift for honey_bubbls on discord!)
Relationships: Legend & Warriors (Linked Universe), Legend (Linked Universe)/Marin (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 95





	Veteran’s Lament

Legend woke up crying, from another dream about the world that he had left behind. There was yet another fleeting moment of hope that this time he’d be able to stay there for good, no matter how much he told himself that it wouldn’t be possible. Because they were all dead. 

He hid himself under the covers of his bedroll, praying that whoever was on watch would just ignore him and his plights. But, of course he started to hear footsteps coming towards him. He had the hero’s spirit himself, he knew that he’d do the same thing to any of the other heroes if they were having an issue. Except the main problem was the pattern of steps that approached. Warriors. 

As the footsteps grew closer, Legend could feel himself getting more and more tense. He didn’t want to talk with anybody. Especially not the pretty boy. So when Warriors sat near him, all Legend did in response was turn over and try to fall back asleep. 

“Go away, pretty boy,” Legend growled from underneath the blankets. Warriors didn’t seem bothered by this, at least from what Legend could tell. But, of course, Legend was blocking anything from his vision at the moment. 

“Nightmare?” The captain asked, voice gentler than Legend had ever heard. It seemed like a tone of voice he’d use for the sailor. Legend cringed at it. 

“What’s it to you?” He answered, annoyance practically dripping from his voice. Warriors only sighed. 

“I just want to help,” The captain insisted, shifting slightly. “Contrary to popular belief I don’t hate you, vet,”

Legend hummed in response, not bothering to move. After a few more minutes of lying there, Legend finally accepted the fact that he wouldn’t be getting a lick of sleep for a while. So, he sat up, shivering at the night air, then silently walked over to the fire, Warriors following with uncertainty. 

The veteran hummed at the warmth of the fire, but flinched when the captain returned to his spot. Legend prayed to whatever goddess was watching that Warriors wouldn’t press the issue. The veteran had a reputation to uphold, after all. If they found out that he was hurting, they’d try to help, and he knew that he would get attached. Then they’d learn who he really was. A weakling. 

“I’m not going to let you suffer in silence, Legend,” Warriors stated bluntly, distracting Legend from his thoughts. Legend curled in on himself further, unable to look the captain in the eyes. “If there’s anything at all I can do, please tell me. I don’t like seeing anyone get lost in their head like that,”

“It was nothing, War. Just a dream,” Legend said, trying to put an end to further questioning, but that statement seemed to pique the captain’s curiosity even further.

“So not a nightmare. What was the problem then?” 

“I didn’t wanna wake up,” 

Warriors shut his mouth with an audible click, processing Legend’s precious words carefully. It reminded him of something, no, it reminded him of someone. Then it all made sense. He had seen the nights that Marin woke up crying in another tent, the way that she rubbed her eyes and insisted that it was nothing more than a dream. Until it wasn’t.

During the war, Warriors and Marin had become acquainted, and it was the captain’s job to make sure that his fighters were in their best shape, especially the powerful ones that had been brought from their worlds. Warriors remembered how one night he held the Skull Kid in his arms, sobbing about a nightmare of Majora taking his body again. And another night, but that time he had accidentally caught Midna staring at the sunset, hearing her mutter about the glowing skies of Twilight.

And most importantly, he remembered when he asked Marin about her dreams after a particularly rough battle. The songstress had been injured, a product of her own distractions. So she told him what had happened. How a boy in green came to her island. How he was perfectly imperfect, how he was her dream. 

Warriors snapped back to reality when he realized that Legend was staring at him. The captain sighed, and sat down near the veteran, ignoring the wide-eyed glance sent his way. 

“I met a girl during the war, you know,” Warriors started, drawing in a shaky breath. “She was beautiful, and she was dropped right off through a portal from her home. She had no experience fighting, but insisted that we let her help with the efforts, having heard tales of a beast named Ganon,” 

Legend listened intently, an inkling of feeling dripping through his cracked mask as a tear slid down his face. Warriors took off his scarf, and wrapped it around him.

“She was powerful. She knew songs that brought someone hope and joy, and she fought with a bell at her side, calling on a deity to help her in battle. We became friends, just like I had with everyone else from different eras. There was one night, though, I woke to crying from a nearby tent, and it was her. She didn’t elaborate past saying that it was just a dream,” Warriors paused, collecting himself before continuing. “The next day, she got hurt in battle. Got distracted, and didn’t dodge quick enough from a moblin’s swing. Broke her arm pretty badly,”

“I went to see how she was, and I asked her what was wrong, and she told me. She told me where she came from, a place called Koholint. Then she told me of a boy in green, with a hat like mine that washed up on her shores. How she found him and rescued him, and how they fell in love,” Legend was a few words away from the dam behind his eyes would break, so Warriors continued, keeping a comforting arm around Legend. “She said if I ever met him, to tell him something important,”

“Marin doesn’t blame you for what happened, Legend. She loved you. She still does. Please stop beating yourself up over it. You’re allowed to feel sad, to feel regret and to grieve for her. But that shouldn’t stop you from remembering a few happy times,”

After Warriors finished relaying the message, Legend let his face fall into his hands, and he leaned into Warriors’ stomach, clutching his tunic like a lifeline. The captain let it happen, wrapping his arms around Legend in response.

“I can’t stand to see you like this,” Warriors whispered, still holding his brother close to his chest. “Let yourself be loved for a moment, no matter how little it is. You’ll break yourself far quicker doing that than you ever could getting attached,”

“How- how much did she tell you?” Legend croaked, raising his head to look Warriors in the eyes. The captain smiled.

“Once she told me about you, she’d mention things. She told me that you liked embroidery while she was fixing up her clothes. She nearly cried when we made your favorite food,” Warriors took a breath, exhaling slowly as if to calm himself. “One time, it had been a bad few weeks, for all of us. She told me, and I quote, ‘As much as you like to separate yourself, you know the story of my island. I loved that boy with all my heart and he was as skittish as a rabbit at first, you’re not getting out of friendship just because you feel bad,’”

“She didn’t tell me everything, but I know enough to know that you must be hurting. And that’s why you’ve gotta let us help you, vet,” Legend’s tears didn’t stop coming, but he cracked a mischievous smile.

“Who are you and what have you done with our idiot captain?” He joked, getting a small laugh from Warriors, who had since faced the fire again. “Captain?”

‘What is it?”

“Thanks,” Legend spat out, finding it hard to say those words, his old attitude bubbling back up as his tears dried. Warriors raised an eyebrow. “No- really. Thank you,”

“Don’t mention it,” Warriors nodded, letting Legend lean into his side once more. The veteran still clung to his tunic like a child, but if he was feeling better, Warriors didn’t mind. “Do you think that you’ll fall asleep anytime soon?”

Legend shrugged. Warriors grinned, looking at the curled up veteran, who was suspicious of the devilish expression.

“Then do you wanna hear the time that Marin brought Ganondorf to his knees?” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked it! I’m not going to lie, I had some trouble thinking of what to write for the exchange this time around. I figured it out tho so I’m proud of myself for that at least.


End file.
